Local Author Vicki Wilkerson and 'Swamps and Soirees'

I just sat down today and started reading the third novel I have bought by local author Vicki Wilkerson. This one is called ‘Swamps and Soirees’. It’s the latest in her series of Summerbrook Novels set in a small Southern town in South Carolina.

I never planned on reading her books, but she is a fellow member of the Lake Marion Artisans based in Summerton, S.C. There was a book signing held at the Lake Marion Artisans art gallery in downtown Summerton earlier in the year which I attended and I thought it would be a nice gesture to buy one of her books.

I wasn’t sure when I would get around to reading it, especially since it didn’t look like the kind of book I normally read. However, later that week I sat down on my porch overlooking beautiful Lake Marion, picked up the book and started reading. Damned if I didn’t get hooked. I really enjoyed her novel. It was called ‘Sweet Tea and Time’.

Bottom line, after I read the book, I went over to the art gallery and bought ‘Bikers and Pearls’ about a local woman’s interaction with former members of a biker gang. Who would have thought I would enjoy reading these sweet, uplifting stories set in a quiet Southern setting. They certainly were different than the westerns, mysteries, and other ‘manly’ novels I usually read.

Nevertheless, I’m here to say they are great and you ought to pick up one of her books and settle down for an entertaining and educational read. Try it! You’ll like it. It’s Southern literature at its best. Now back to my reading of her third novel ‘ Swamps and Soirees’.

Vicki Wilkerson - Author

Some Useful Tools for Visual Artists

There are a lot of useful tools available nowadays for artists to use – not only to create artworks, but to sell them and make enough to maybe earn a living doing what you love to do. For example.

• There are many free and open source software (FOSS) tools available for artists. A number of examples can be found on the Lake Marion Artisans web site. Read Lake Marion Artisans ‘Open’ Art Technology 
• To display, make prints, and sell your artwork, take a look at SmugMug. It’s a great web site for artists that will handle the sales, shipping, billing, and processing of payments for you. Check out these Blogs & Articles About SmugMug 
• Recent articles about technology for artists include recommendations for the following tools you might want to check out: Google Blocks, Google Autodraw, Corel Painter 2018, Rebelle 2, Tuxpaint and much more.

There are many other tools to consider on the Internet such as Fracture Me, a web site that will reproduce your photos or paintings in vivid color directly on glass. Try Easy Canvas Prints that does exactly what their name implies. Also, check out Easy Art 1-2-3, a web site that lets you make your own custom paint by number picture kits from any photo. Take a few minutes to search the web yourself.

 

Send us your list of recommended tools and web sites so we can share them with our local artisan community.

Bird Watching around Summerton, Santee, and Lake Marion, SC

Birding, or bird watching, involves the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by simply listening for bird sounds. 

When you visit Summerton, nearby Lake Marion, and the Santee National Wildlife Refuge, you will find many parks, wildlife management areas, nature trails and back roads you can use for bird watching and to observe the other wildlife throughout the region. Sightings of nearly 300 bird species have been recorded in the area. These include songbirds, wading birds, and several species of waterfowl.

Some of the many other birds sighted in the area include quail, turkey, loons, grebe, storks, cormorants, herons, egrets, eagles, hawks, falcons, rails, cranes, plovers, sandpipers, gulls, terns, doves, owls, swifts, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, flycatchers, jays, crows, larks, swallows, wrens, thrushes, mockingbirds, warblers, sparrows, cardinals, blackbirds, finches, and much more.

Selected Information Sources

• All About Birds
• American Birding Association
• BirdWatching Daily
• Carolina Bird Club
• National Audubon Society
• Santee National Wildlife Refuge - Local Bird List
• South Carolina Young Birders Club
  

* Make sure you visit the Summerton SC 'Nature & Outdoor Recreation' web site.

Local Clarendon County Football Teams: Schedules and Scores - September 2017

The following are links to the 2017 Football Schedule, Roster, and Stats for Summerton and other local high schools across Clarendon County, SC.

• Clarendon Hall Saints (4-2) 
• East Clarendon High School Wolverines (0-6) 
• Laurence Manning Academy Swampcats (4-2) 
• Manning High School Monarchs (6-1) 
• Scott's Branch High School Eagles (3-3) 

Our county High School football teams started their season back on August 18, 2017. Good luck to everyone as the remainder of the  season plays out.

 

 
* Check out MAXPREPS, a CBSSports.com web site for team standings and more complete statistics across the state.